The Dark
by TheGrace
Summary: Matt Sanders and his two younger sisters escape assassins after them and their parents. Then they wake up at CHERUB. After training, Matt is sent on a mission that will destroy a major group of drug dealers.The most violent ones around. Rated T to be safe
1. Escape

Escape

**Escape**

I ran down the stairs silently. I slipped into my younger sisters' room, and ducked behind Jessie's bed. I crouched there for a minute, listening to the thumps upstairs. I heard a voice murmur something, and I realized it would be seconds before the assassins realized I wasn't in my bed.

"Jess, Jessie. Wake up." I murmured, as quietly as I could.

I pushed my hand over her mouth, as she tried to ask what the matter was.

"Shhh." I murmured, and crept quietly over to Shae.

The seven year old was curled under her duvet, and barely stirred as I gave her a shove. I silently swore and ran over to Jessie again.

"Hey Jess. There are people here. They killed Mum and Dad. Can you climb out the window and get into the bush? I'll come after you with Shae, she's still asleep."

She made no noise as she slipped out of the bed and went over to the window. She started opening it and it rasped every step of the way. Oh crap. I heard voices calling out to each other. Jessie slipped through it and jumped to the ground. I admired her guts, we were on the second floor. I ran to Shae's bed, and picked her up. She started stirring, and I pushed her onto the windowsill. She was finally awake.

"Get to the ground." I hissed.

I had to get more time. I ran to the door, and slammed it closed. I shoved Jessie's bed against it, with a sudden burst of strength. Then I pushed the wardrobe on its side behind it. It still wouldn't take them long to get through. I ran to the window and clambered out, the way I had thousands of times before when my parents were being bastards. Now they had pissed off the wrong people.

I heard crashes from the bedroom, and realized we didn't have much time. Jessie and Shae were waiting for me on the ground below the window. When I got about a two metres from the ground, I dropped. I hit the ground awkwardly, and jarred my knee, but I ignored it and grabbed Shae off the ground. Together the three of us ran through into the bush. I could hear gunshots behind us.

When we'd gone about two kilometres, I let go of Shae, and we finally started to walk. We were all pretty fit, but we were also wrecked. Well I can't say for Jess, but the sight of my dead parents, pushing the wardrobe, and the desperate time of trying to get from my room to theirs, had made me mentally wrecked as well as physically.

I wondered how Jess was going, she was only ten. Out of the three of us, I was the oldest

at twelve.

"Where should we go Matt?" asked Jess.

"Police. We should have gone to the police a long time ago."

"Matt, why were those people shooting at us?" asked Shae.

"They killed Mum and Dad, Shae. They were trying to kill us too. I think they were paid for it."

"Why would someone want to kill me?" asked Shae, her jaw quivering.

"Hey Shae, it's okay. You're safe now. I promise I won't let anything happened to you."

I dropped onto one knee so I could see her face, then pulled her into a hug. I rubbed her back, then stood up. I could hear running water. The creek.

"Hey, it's the creek over here. If we follow it, it'll take us to town." I called to them.

Should anyway. I thought to myself. I stood back up, and found the creek. We started walking along it. I kept Jess in front of me, and held Shae's hand. She had started crying.

"Matt, I'm too tired. I wanna stop now. Matt. Can't we go to sleep. It's really late."

"How about I give you a piggyback?"

"No. I just wanna stop walking and have a rest."

I sighed and grabbed her and again held her in my arms. I was glad she was under average size. She wriggled around in my arms and slipped out.

"Piggyback?" she asked.

I sighed again and crouched down so she could clamber onto my back. I hoped town wasn't too far away. We were three kids in the middle of a forest dressed in nothing more then pajamas, with assassins looking for us.

**A/N- Review if you like this story. Sorry this chappies short, the next ones will be longer. Hehehe. I just remembered something from my year seven class. Someone asked my year seven teacher how you find an assassin to hire. He shrugged and said and said, ' look in the white pages under assassin.' She believed him until everyone cracked up. Oh yeah, I also know someone who wants to be a stripper assassin. Crazy person.**


	2. Flight

Flight

**Flight**

It took almost an hour to get to the town. Every step made my body ache more, but I forced myself to keep going. I slipped once, and Shae clung so tightly to me my ribs felt like they would break. I ended up sliding awkwardly down the bank, and landing on my knees in water that wet up to my hips, Shae had managed to stay dry somehow. Jess just walked to the edge of the bank and helped me back up. Then we kept walking.

I was starting to get freaked out how quiet the town was, when I finally spotted the blue lights of the police station. Shae was complaining about being carried so I let her down and grabbed her hand. Jess felt for the other hand, which made me feel weird, because she never normally needed reassurance. Together we walked into the police station.

Three weeks later, I sat in a care home, watching Nellie, a care worker, watching Jess wrestling with a kid older then her. I had taught her how to wrestle, the same way my older brother Tom had taught me before he was killed in a car crash. She managed to pin the older boy to the ground, and put her elbow against his throat. I saw Nellie stand up and called out softly; 'enough Jess."

She instantly let go, and innocently walked over to the playground, and swung along the monkey bars until she was a fair way away from Nellie. Then she dropped to the ground and I barely saw a flicker as she slipped into the dorm where her room was. I straightened up as a boy about fourteen walked up to me.

"What's your sister doing bashing up my kid brother?" He snarled as three others backed him up. I scrambled to my feet, wishing I had a wall or something to have my back against.

"Like the glasses, four eyes." Said one of his mates.

I wondered what to do, I didn't want to start a fight but I didn't want to get bashed either, they were all older then me and probably stronger. I waited for the first dude to get close, he had blonde hair, why the other two had brown, one of the other two were wearing a leather jacket. He suddenly struck his arm out, catching me on the side of the head. I grabbed his arm and twisted him into an arm lock and he screamed in pain.

"Either of you move and I'll break his arm."

Leather Jacket stepped forward and swung his fist at my head. I paused long enough to shove blondie away, and then I punched him in the guts and he doubled over. The kid with the brown hair backed away, his hands raised.

"I swear there's gonna be trouble." Said the blonde kid, making a slashing motion across his throat. I just looked at him, trying my hardest not to be scared. I had a vague memory of him hanging around with a bunch of sixteen-year olds. He wandered off into the house and I walked towards the back fence, planning to vault over it when Nellie called out.

"Matt! Can you get you and your sisters into my office in ten?"

I wondered if the blonde kid had ratted on me. I hoped not. I glanced longingly at the fence then realized that if they didn't find me they'd come after my sisters. I ran into the house, and went to Jess's room.

"Jess, do you know why Nellie is after us?"

"'Cos you got into a fight."

I glared at her and she got off her bed. Then she grabbed two bars of chocolate off her desk and threw both at me before picking up the third one for herself.

"The other one's for Shae."

"Thanks sis."

I headed out the room, and went left, towards Shae's room, I heard Jess leaving the room after me, but she went right, towards Nellie's office. I heard a clatter behind me, of a door open, and instinctively dropped flat as a fist whistled over my head. I got my knee underneath me and shoved my body upwards, kicking backwards like a horse when I had my balance back, and then swung around so I could see them. It was the blonde kid again. I stood against the wall and realized he was by himself.

"You don't learn do you?" I sneered, suddenly feeling braver.

"Any of your smart moves going to stop this?" he asked, pulling out a ten-centimetre knife.

I tried stepping backwards, but hit the wall. He grinned nastily, enjoying the power he held over me. I cursed my stupidity. Why else would he have approached me after I had hurt his arm like that? And he had made that slashing motion.

"So you're gonna stick that knife in me. So brave aren't you, a fourteen year old against an unarmed twelve year old. You must love yourself so much. I bet you feel yourself up every night eh?"

"Why you little…"

"WHY ARE YOU HOLDING A KNIFE!" yelled Nellie from behind him.

She suddenly slammed her palm into the back of his head, and his legs crumpled.

"What?" I started asking.

"Get your little sister and get in my room and don't speak to anyone about this." She said in one breath.

I ran to Shae's room, and realized she wasn't there. Her roommate, Shannon, was on her bed reading a book, propped up on her elbows and barely looked up as I rushed in. I looked at Shae's half of the room, and realized that her bag wasn't there. She wasn't back from school yet, and it was five thirty.

"Where's Shae?" I asked Shannon.

The nine year old simply shrugged. I almost grabbed her around the throat.

"Shannon where the hell is she? I need to know, she's been missing for hours!"

"She didn't want me to tell you."

"For gods sake Shannon, she's seven years old!"

"She got into a fight and the teacher yelled at her so she ran out of the class and went down to the creek."

I swore, and without answering ran out of the room. I heard Shannon mutter something about anger management. I found the door, with Nellie's name on it, and opened it without knocking. Jess was sitting on the ground, looking shocked with tears streaming down her face. I knew the instant I caught her eyes.

"They found her?" I asked.

"Yes." Answered Nellie.

"But, when did you find out?" I asked.

"About five minutes ago."

I sat down next to Jess, and pulled her into a cuddle. She sobbed, her fingers clawing into my back. I couldn't believe it. They would kill her!

"Matt, the assassins, they know you're in the area now. We have to get you away from here. Out of the country. I know of a good place you can go, it's like a boarding school, but I can't tell you much more. You'll find out when you get there."

"Where is this boarding school?" I asked.  
"In England."

"Can you send us out of the country without our agreement?"

"Not legally. But with organization we can."

"I'm not leaving."

"Ok," said Nellie, "Have a drink."

"What?" I asked.

She pulled out a can of coke.

"What the heck is this?" I demanded.

"We're not going to force you to go."

I looked at the can, and then looked at Jess. She was still shaken up, and her face showed me exactly what she was scared of. She needed me, and I needed her. I would never forgive myself if I lost her too. I glanced at Nellie.

"Matt, your sister isn't dead. We're gonna do everything we can to find her."

I looked at Jess, then at the coke. I remembered how crappy my life had been, I thought about Shae. I promised myself something.

"When do we leave?"

**A/N- sorry it's not all that good, I'm very tired and sore.**


	3. CHERUB

CHERUB

**Sorry I took so long to post. I had a writers block and lots of other stories. I hope you like.**

**CHERUB**

I stirred in my sleep, and half rolled over. I yawned slightly and took in the smell. Weird, my duvet smelt new. I opened my eyes, and reached blindly for my glasses. They were on a table by the side of the bed. I put them on and looked up at an unfamiliar roof. I rolled over onto my left side, and realized I was in a double bed. I could see a fridge, a phone, a kettle, a microwave. I pulled the duvet off to get out, and noticed I was naked. I instinctively pulled the blanket around my waist, and got out of the bed. I saw some clothes, weird greeny-coloured cargo pants and an orange t-shirt with a baby sitting on a ball holding a bow and arrow. They were all the right size for me. I got dressed, and went over to the window. There was a bunch of kids playing soccer on Astroturf.

I struggled to remember how I got here; the last thing I remember was getting off the plane. I wondered where Jessie was, and pulled on the socks as I had another look around the room. There was no note or anything. Weird. I wondered what I should do.

I walked to the door and tried the handle. It was unlocked.

I opened it too a spacious corridor. It looked spotless then I noticed a set of muddy boot tracks heading towards a lift. I stopped, unsure, and then thought what the hell. If I did the wrong thing they could hardly blame me. They left me in the dark. Not literally, I thought, as I looked the other way along the well-lit corridor to see two staircases, one going up the other going down. Hmm, go down. Most business like places had the receptions on the first floor. And this looked business like.

I took the stairs two at a time and got down fairly quickly. Another set of stairs. I raced down them, and ran into a massive man wearing a white shirt with the same logo. I fell over and cracked my head on the stairs. Man that was dumb.

I stood up, and started apologizing to the man. All he said back was.

"Can't speak to orange."

I sighed and kept walking down the stairs. This time they came out on a big open-like reception looking area. Sure enough, a lady, smiling slightly walked up and said,

"Hello Matthew. Doctor MacAfferty is waiting for you."

A doctor? Am I in a mental hospital or something? I know I chucked a sad when I found out about Shae… But wouldn't anyone? I mean… seriously was I that bad. But the weird man on the stairs? Oh well, I would find out after I talk to this Doctor guy I guess.

I walked to the door she gestured me to, and stood awkwardly beside it. Then it hit me. Her and the man both had English accents…

She knocked on the door, and a soft Scottish accent called, "come in."

I opened the door, and walked in nervously. A man who looked to be in his late fifties smiled welcomingly at me, over a file that had my name on it. I recognized it from when the lady at the care home had had it out.

"Aaah, Matthew. Take a seat."

I walked stiffly towards one of the hard-backed seats around his table. His office had full height windows and a crackling fire. The walls were lined with leather bound books. A few comfy armchairs were scattered around the fire.

He laughed softly, a bell like laugh, and gestured towards the armchairs. "Over there."

Once I had sat down, he began.

"I am Doctor MacAfferty, the chairman of CHERUB campus. Everyone calls me Mac for short."

"How did I get here?" I asked him suddenly.

He frowned slightly at me then said, "You fell asleep on the plane because of a mild sedative Nellie gave you. You were carried off the plane and driven here. No ill effects I hope."

"Where exactly is here."

"Well, we're in England as you may have worked out."

That explained the accents and the cold.

"But that's about all I can tell you at this time."

"Okay, what can you tell me then."

"We have two hundred and eighty pupils. Four swimming pools, six indoor tennis courts, an all-weather football field, a gymnasium and a shooting range to name a few. We have a school onsite. The classes have ten or less people, and everyone has to learn two foreign languages. We have a higher proportion of students going to university then any of the leading public schools. How would you feel about living here?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

"Where my sisters are."

"Your sisters are safe. Both of them. We are sorry for tricking you, but we told you that to get you on the plane."

"Where are they?"

"Somewhere safe, if you agree to do the tests, and past I will tell you."

"What test?" I asked warily.  
"You're making me do this out of order. We have two requirements for you to get a place here. The first is they pass our entrance exam. The second is an unusual one. It is that you agree to be an agent of the British Intelligence Service."

"What?"

"A spy Matthew."

"You use kids for spies? Like Alex Rider? Cos people don't suspect them."

Mac smiled faintly.

"Yes."

"So these tests? Are you proposing to take me in to be trained for a spy if I pass them? And my sisters too?"

"Yes."

"Is it dangerous?"

"Most missions are fairly safe. CHERUB has been running for fifty years, and there have been four deaths. The worst that has happened in the ten years I've been chairman is a bad case of malaria and someone being shot in the leg."

"The missions go to an ethic committee for approval. Everything is explained to you and you have a right to refuse or withdraw from a mission at any time."

"Okay. So when do these tests start?"

Mac smiled grimly. "Right now."


	4. Mission

THE MISSION

I sat in Mac's office, soaked, exhausted and sore from my bouts with Kerry in the tests. He was looking at some papers with interest. He looked up at me and frowned slightly, then looked back at the papers. He sighed.

"Matthew, you're in an extraordinary position for a mission right now. If we let this go then we might never get another chance at it. We might try and accelerate your training, but it will make it so much harder then the normal training, which is very hard already, and then you will have to undertake the normal training. I'm looking at your school reports, and all of them say you are smart, skilled and determined young man. What do you say?"

"What is the mission?" I asked simply.

"The person who ordered your parents killed was running an organization. It has been torn apart with indecision, and another organization wants to get revenge on them. If you were to go as part of the other organization, with your perfectly good reason to join them, then we could get them all together at one time and take them all out in one shot, rather then spending ages trying to trail every last one."

"So, you want me to join the gang that opposes The Dark?"

"Yes, you know them?"

"Yeah, one of my friends decided hanging out with them would be smart. He was killed earlier this year."

"You are going to get the best training possible in a short amount of time. You will have a more experienced agent with you, say his your cousin or something. If you complete your training I will give you your mission briefing. When you leave you need to go find Meryl Spencer. She will tell you where you need to be, and when, and then you will need to choose a new name."

"So no one can look me up?"

"Yes."

Mac turned back to his papers, so I waited a few seconds, then stood up and left. I walked out into the hallway, and my boots sank into the soft carpet. A Kenyan woman called my name softly. She gestured for me to follow her into the room.

"Name?"

"Matt Sanders."

"Wow, straight away. Impressive."

"I had about a minute to think."

Eight weeks later….

A few days ago I had sat in Mac's room nervously as I was introduced to my mission controller. John Jones. I had only just finished my basic training, and had the scars, bruises and tiredness to prove it. John Jones was harassed looking, and practically ditched the mission briefing at me.

Now I was on a plane, heading for my home. Melbourne, Australia.

**AN- Yeah yeah yeah. Short boring chapter this one. I promise it will pick up from here but I got REALLY stuck. I'll update sooner this time, if I get many reviews. **


	5. Homecoming

**A/N – I… I… I… Ok. No excuses. Please don't eat me. I got a bit distracted for a while there. I hope you guys like this chapter. For those who are confused – Matt had an accelerated basic training course so he could get back into the action before it died out. And yes I know it's not that realistic. Again. No excuse. Please review.**

**_Homecoming_**

John pulled up at a new looking house, and turned the engine of the four-wheel-drive we were in off. I hesitantly reached for the door handle, after England's freezing temperatures, I wasn't looking forward to feel the heat of our summer.

"Home sweet home." I said, opening the door, and stepping out onto the bitumen. I went off the edge of the bitumen to get my bags out of the back, and heard the familiar crunch of dry grass under my feet.

John just went straight up to the house, and unlocked the door. He walked in, and I followed, lugging my suitcase. I dropped it at the front door, and walked around my new home for the next couple of months. There were three bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, a games room, a dining room, and a laundry. It was fairly big, bigger then my old house. Our games room was taken over by my bedroom. Well, it had been.

If I was right, we were roughly five kilometres away from where I used to live. My story was, I was living with my new foster Dad, and my sisters were elsewhere. I would go back to the same school, same class, same everything. Hang out with the same people, and hopefully get a lead into one of the gangs.

Two hours later I had unpacked my bags, and waked down to the kitchen. John looked up at me, and gave me a curt nod.

"Can I go for a wander around? See if I can find some mates of mine?" I asked.

He looked at me for a few minutes, and then glanced away.

"Yes. But be careful, and be home before nine tonight okay?"

"Sure." I said sarcastically, walking outside. I wondered what he thought I would do that would keep me occupied for over six hours.

I was already tired from Jet Lag, and the long flight had taken it out of me. We had only landed this morning. I jogged for half an hour, and got back to the suburb I used to live in. Then I headed for the park.

Johnston Park covered about five acres. Half of it was bush land, the rest of it were ovals and playgrounds. Where the three met, at around twilight, was where the gangs met. I headed to the edge of the trees, and moved slowly along them, wondering if any of my mates would be hanging around near the playground. I hadn't realized I had missed them while I was gone, but now I was back it was bugging me.

"Matt! Matt! Is that you?" Called a familiar voice from my left.

I spun around quickly, and grinned. Colin was jogging towards me, a cricket bat in his hand. When he got to me, he thumped me on the back and grinned back at me.

"Which hole have you disappeared down for the last couple of months? I thought the buggers had kidnapped you when they murdered your parents."

"Oh. I got sent to a home, ended up with a foster Dad, we only just moved back to Melbourne."

"Where were you before that?" Asked Colin.

"Before here with my foster Dad? I was in London because he had work there." I lied, sticking to my background story.

"Sweet. See snow?" He asked.

"I just missed it." I answered.

Colin tossed a ball at me, and I caught it one handed. I looked at his familiar features. Brown hair, eyes, small turned up nose. It made me feel strange, after the time I spent in CHERUB. For the first time in a long while, I was home.

I wondered how my sisters were faring without me; I'd only seen them once or twice between my rushed basic training and the mission. I'd depended on them so much.

"I'm waiting for the guys and then we were gonna play cricket, you wanna join?"

"Yeah, sure. Got nothing better to do."

"You'll never have anything better to do then play cricket if you don't start buffing up." Said Colin, giving me a strong shove.

I pushed him back, almost dropping him in the dirt. I winced, I was used to people stronger then me. He looked at me in shock.

"Jeez, I was just messing. You don't need to over do it. What's happening with your sisters?"

"Jess and Shae are with a young couple that lost their baby due to some illness. I liked them and they seem happy there. But they're in Kalgoorlie, in Western Australia now."

"That sucks. Will you get to see them much?"

"I don't know Colin. I'm not sure of anything now."

We sat there in silence for a while, not sure of what to say to each other, then Colin finally interrupted.

"Well at least you know they might have a chance to grow up there."

I nodded. Colin was the only person besides me that knew that my brother Tom's 'accident' wasn't an accident. Mum and Dad had gotten a bit more crack then they could sell, and didn't have enough money to pay the debt they owed. The debt went to Tom's life. That was over a year ago, but the memory of what they had said over it still burnt. I was so glad my sisters had been in the garden at that moment.

Tom had been two years older then me, so I was almost the same age now, as he was when he was killed. Yet somehow he was stronger, smarter, and tougher and a better fighter then I'd ever be. He'd needed to be, to protect my sisters and I from the harm our parents had in store for us.

My 'mother' was not my real Mum. My real Mum had died in childbirth to Shae – My 'Mother' was the poor excuse of a person my Dad had found. She was the person who screwed him and my life up. Our lives.

All my life I had wished for some distant relation to emerge, tell us they were taking us away from that place for good. In a way, the assassins had done that for me.


	6. Trouble

**Trouble**

After about half an hour, some more people turned up for our game of cricket. A few of them said hello to me, and wandered off to start bagging positions and discussing who would bat. A few more barely looked at me and then went to their positions. I could see the looks they were giving me, and knew it was simply because they didn't have anything to say to me.

I ended up being given the ball, and I bowled it, and missed the batter by about a metre, the ball disappeared into the trees, and a younger kid, maybe about nine or ten, took off after it. That's when I heard him scream. The twelve or so other boys in the park all froze, looking around like rabbits caught in headlights. I ran towards the sound, and noticed out of the corner of my eye that almost everyone else had fled.

A boy a bit older then me, with the same tousled blonde hair as the younger kid followed me, on my heels. We got to the edge of the trees and paused. Then we heard another scream, chilling, animal. He looked on the verge of running, staring into the bush desperately. He opened his mouth, but I shook my head. That's when they emerged, about six of them. Dressed fully in black, dragging the figure of the small boy, red blood blossoming over his now bare chest.

The boy next to me started forward, but I swung my arm out and put it against his chest to stop him. He paused, but I could feel the tension. They threw the boy at our feet, and spat on his still form. I didn't move, I wasn't sure whether to approach them or not. The other boy made the decision for me. He picked up his brother, threw him over his shoulder, and ran for safety. I stood there, watching them uneasily.

"What d'you want kid." Snarled one of them.

"Piss off or we'll give you the same as him."

"Move your fat arse."

"I want to have some fun, join you guys." I said, very nervously.

"Too bad. We have enough people. We don't take in pussies."

I turned around, and walked off, before they could say anything more. I'd tried, and I didn't want to piss them off further. I got about thirty metres before I heard running footsteps behind me. It was the smaller guy on the end. They reached me, and flicked the hood off their head. That's when I realized it wasn't a guy.

The pretty brown haired girl smiled nervously. She glanced over her shoulder and the expression on her face changed from angry and tough to scared and upset like a set of traffic lights. They were gone.

"Please help me. My Dad couldn't pay so they've got me with them and I'm scared they're gonna hurt me. They make me do awful things." She said, her eyes sincere.

I looked blankly back at her, for all I knew she was a trick. That's when the other figure came sprinting back across the grass, grabbed her by the arm, and dragged her away.

But before he'd gotten away, he gave me a deathly glare and said, "if you're that serious about joining be at Simpson Bridge at eleven tomorrow night. And be prepared for a tough night."

I nodded simply, and he left, and they disappeared after the others. I dropped my head into my hands, as I remembered the green eyes of my friend Jake, my friend who had been killed. Then I followed the boy whose brother was hurt.

"Let me look." I said, pushing past him, as he examined the younger kid.

I felt for his pulse, and could feel the strong beat. I examined the blood on his chest. They had made a few rough lines on there. It read, 'DARK'. Would make an interesting scar. The boy watched me anxiously.

"He's just unconscious. Maybe he fainted."

"My Mum and Dad will kill me if they find out…" He said.

"Put a shirt over him or something, they aren't that bad, they'll heal, just make sure they don't get infected."

"Okay."

I turned around, and walked home. I would have to tell John about the event at the bridge tomorrow night, and wondered if he'd be okay with me going. Then I thought about the strange brown-haired girl from before.


End file.
